Anarchists in the Academy

Is the growing presence of anarchist academics on university faculties a success to be celebrated? Jeff Shantz supports this development while urging us to proceed with caution, noting academia’s tendency to take ideas away from the people whose struggles inspired them and isolate them into inaccessible, impracticable theories. While occupying space in the academy is important, Shantz warns against the assumption that it will be enough to alter institutions towards an anarchist path, and while some are theorizing, the work of organizing continues.

Originally published in issue 41.